China Southern Airlines has signed a contract with Airbus to purchase 10 Airbus A330s for a total price of US$1.8 billion.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and British Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the signing ceremony.

The 10 A330 aircraft will be delivered from 2007 to 2008, said sources with the Airbus.

China Southern Airlines already operates four A330-200s on domestic trunk and international routes.

As the first A330 customer on the Chinese Mainland, China Southern Airlines currently operates a fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft. On April 21, 2005, the Guangzhou-based carrier ordered five A380s, becoming the first customer of this model in China and the 15th in the world.